The Cultural and Natural History of Kanepu'u, Lana'i and its Potenital for a Natural Area Preserve

Abstract

HAWAI'I'S NATURAL HISTORY - The Hawaiian Archipelago extends from approximately 18 54' to 28 15' north latitude and 154 40' to 178 15' west longitude. Located in the northern tropics of the Pacific Ocean, the chain of mid-oceanic volcanoes trends northwest to southeast and spans approximately 1,523 mi (2,452 km). The entire archipelago comprises 132 islands, reefs, and shoals. Hawai'i is one of the most isolated land masses in the world. The Marquesas Islands, the nearest tropical high islands, are located 2,400 mi (3,865 km) to the south. It is approximately the same distance to North America, and nearly 5,000 mi (8,052 km) to Asia. Hawai'i's isolation and the availability of many and diverse ecological niches to original colonizing plant and animal species have resulted in high percentages of endemism within the native biota. St. John (1973:4-6) gives a total of 2,734 (apparently an error for 2,744) native flowering plant species and infraspecific taxa, of which 97.5 percent are endemic. In a reclassification of the Hawaiian flora in progress (Wagner et al. in prep.), these figures will differ as many of the current taxa are not recognized by the project. Nevertheless, endemism among Hawaiian plants remains notably high.